1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling or combating microbial organism. The invention also relates to an antimicrobial composition for inhibiting microbial organism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are natural antibiotics that act as a primary defense barrier to prevent the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms in living organisms. Recently, scientific studies have disclosed a class of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides in humans, mammals, plants, insects and other organisms. Generally these peptides have a net positive charge (i.e., cationic), and it is believed that the antimicrobial efficacy of theses peptides is attributed to their ability to penetrate and disrupt the microbial membranes, thereby killing the microbe or inhibiting its growth.
Plant AMPs are 3-10 kDa cationic peptides that exhibit a high content of cysteine and/or glycine residues. These plant AMPs are expressed constitutively or are induced following pathogen attack, and most are localized in extracellular matrix. The structures of plant AMPs are generally stabilized by cysteine-linked intramolecular disulfide bridges, which ensure the effective interaction of AMPs with microbial plasma membranes and lead to disruption of membrane integrity of the microorganisms (Pelegrini et al. 2011; Hammam et al. 2009). In addition to membrane permeabilization, other antimicrobial mechanisms of AMPs have been proposed, such as the suppression of nucleic acid and protein synthesis, inhibition of enzymatic activity, and induction of programmed cell death (Brogden, 2005; De Brucker et al. 2011; Rahnamaeian, 2011). Because AMPs exhibit diverse modes of action and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, they are highly recommended candidates for drug development and plant disease control (Brandenburg et al. 2012; Montesinos, 2007; Stotz et al. 2009).
Induced resistance in plants refers to a state with enhanced defenses in response to biotic and abiotic stress (Bostock, 1999; Sticher et al. 1997; van Loon et al. 1998; Durrant and Dong, 2004). The plant hormone salicylic acid is a disease resistance modulator involved in defensive signaling and stimulates the expression of numerous defense genes in many plant systems (Alvarez, 2000; Kessmann et al. 1994). LsGRP1 (Lilium ‘Stargazer’ glycine-rich protein 1) is a defense-related gene of lily that is differentially expressed post-treatments with salicylic acid and probenazole and after inoculation with Botrytis elliptica (Berk.) Cooke. LsGRP1 is predicted to encode a glycine-rich protein of 138 amino acids (a.a.) containing a 23-a.a. N-terminal signal peptide, which targets the mature protein to the plasma membrane or extracellular matrix. The deduced LsGRP1 sequence shares greater than 53% similarity with various plant GRPs and has a highly conserved domain structure, including an N-terminal signal peptide, a central glycine-rich domain and a C-terminal cysteine-rich domain (Chen et al. 2003; Lu and Chen, 2005; Lu et al. 1998, 2007).
However, to date there have not been any reports to identify the antimicrobial activity of LsGRP1-derived peptides. There is a need in the art to explore the great potential of LsGRP1-derived peptides for antimicrobial application.
Reference Cited [Referenced By]
Other Reference
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